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Woman injured after jumping out of window with three-year-old boy to flee racist attack

Man, 50, arrested at scene of suspected hate crime in Omagh, Northern Ireland

Peter Stubley
Sunday 02 February 2020 17:54 GMT
Woman injured after jumping out of window with three-year-old boy to flee racist attack

A woman and a three-year-old boy jumped from a first-floor window trying to to flee a racist attack by a man armed with a bat.

The 22-year-old victim suffered serious pelvic injuries escaping from the house in Omagh, Co Tyrone.

Detectives said they were treating the incident as a hate crime.

A 50-year-old man was arrested at the scene and remains in custody.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said the man armed with the bat had shouted “racial slurs” during the attack in Saint Patrick’s Terrace on Saturday night.

“At around 10.25pm it was reported that a man armed with a bat had attacked the house, shouted racial slurs and attempted to force his way past the 34-year-old male occupant to get inside the property,” said a spokesman.

“A 22-year-old woman and three-year-old boy who were inside the home were so in fear that they jumped from a first-floor window to try to get away.

“As a result the woman has sustained pelvic injuries that will require surgery. The child was not harmed.

“The suspect in custody was arrested at the scene and remains in police custody at present.

“We are treating this incident as a hate crime and I am appealing for witnesses.

“Hate crime has no place in society and should be rejected and reviled by everyone.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101.

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